Mine-car coupling.



n.1. WILLIAMS.

MINE CAR COUPLING.

APPLICATION FILED FEE. 24, 1916.

1 ,207, 1 1 4.. Patented Dec. 5, 1916.

aun-

DAVID J'. WILLIAMS, 0F

HEREIN, ILLINOIS, .ASSIGNOR 0F ONE-THIRD T0 GEORGE H.

WILLIAMS, OF HEREIN, ILLINOIS. f

MINE-CAR COUPLING.

Application led lebruanr 24, 1916.

To all whom t may concern.'

Be it known that LvDAvID J. IVILLIAMS, a citizen of the United States, residing at Herrin, in the county of Williamson and State of Illinois, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Mine-Car Couplings; and I do declare the following to be a full, clear, and eXact description of the invention, such as will enable others skilled in the art to which it appertains to make and use the same.

This invention relates to improvements in locking means, particularly for coupling devices for use on railroad mine cars.

The principal obj ect of my invention is to provide a device of this character in which the two sections will automatically lock when they come together if the parts are in operative position.

An additional object of the invention is to provide a coupling having novel means for retaining the locking means out ,of active position when necessary.

Vith these general objects in view, my invention resides in the novel features of construction, combination and arrangement of parts which will be hereinafter more particularly described and claimed and shown in the drawings wherein;

Figure l is a side elevation of a portion of my improved coupling device showing the locking ring in inactive position; Fig. 2 is a plan view of the parts shown in Fig. 1, the ring being in active position; Figs. 3, 4 and 5 are longitudinal sections taken on the line 3 3 of Fig. 2, showing the two parts of the coupler in various positions; Fig. 6 is a vertical transverse section on the line 6--6 of Fig. l.

While my invention can, with slight changes, be used for locking articles of various characters together, yet it is particularly adapted for use on mine cars, therefore I have illustrated the same applied thereto. In this embodiment, the coupling comprises a socket member 1 which is secured to the draw bar 2 at one end of a car, the means employed for this purpose consisting of a pair of spaced apart ears 3 formed on one end of the member l and between which the draw bar 2 is disposed, a connecting bolt or pin 4 being extended through the openings in the ears and the end of the bar 2.

The member 1 is substantially rectangular in cross section and provided with a central Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Dec. 5, 1916.

Serial No. 80,209.

' bore 5 which forms a socket for a coupling link 6 carried by one end of the other car in any preferred manner, the outer end of the socket 5 being flared to facilitate the engagement of a link 6 with the member l. The top and bottom of the member 1 are provided with longitudinally extending slots 7, said slots being vertically alined with each other and with the slot S in the link 6. These slots 7 are designed to receive a locking ring 9 which extends therethrough and through the slot 8 when the two parts of the coupler are in engaged position. The ring 9 is held against removal from the slots by a bolt or pin 10 which extends transversely through the member 1 and the slot in the upper portion thereof. This pin 10 also retains the ring in such position that when the link 6 enters the socket 5 the same cannot be withdrawn until the ring is raised, thereby automatically locking the two parts of the device together.

The top of the socket member 1 is provided on each side of its slot 7 with an upstanding ear 11, said ears terminating a considerable distance from the outer end of said member, their upper edges being provided with notches 12 to form seats for a member about to be described. These ears being spaced apart a distance equal to the width of the slot 7 do not interfere with the raising of the locking ring 9 when it is desired to release the link 6.

The locking ring 9 is raised by means of a suspending ring 13 to which, if necessary, a short chain may be attached to facilitate the raising. As hereinbefore mentioned, when the ring 9 is in its raised position, the link 6 can readily be removed from the socket 5, therefore when it is not desired to couple the cars, the suspending ring 13 is disposed in the seats 12, thereby effectively holding the locking rin in inactive position until manually re eased. The notches 12 which form the seats for the suspending member, have straight outer Walls to prevent accidental disengagement of the member after it has once been placed therein. When the locking ring is in its active position, the suspending member is disposed in the depression 13 formed in the top of the member 1.

From the foregoing description, it will be seen that I have invented a very simple yet obviously effective means for holding the locking ring and car coupling in inactive position When it is notV desired to couple the cars. Furthermore, it Will be seen that 5 because of the simplicity of the device it can be very inexpensively manufactured. j

In a coupling device, a vertically longi-V tudinally slotted socket member, a pair of 10 substantially rectangular upwardly extending ears centrally disposed on the top of said member, one on each side of the' slot thereof, said ears having V-shaped 'notches therein to form seats, the front Wall of each i5 seat being vertical, said seats being alined,

said socket member having additional alined seats in the top of the Walls of said slot between said ears and the front end of the member, a locking ring disposed 1n said` Slot, a P111 extending across, Said Slet t@ ref tain the ring therein, a suspendingi'link loosely connected to said ring, said link resting in the last-named alined seats When the device is operative, said link When placed vin the seats in said ears, being adapted to J( S; LAYMAN, R. E. CHAPMAN.

Copies of this patent may be obtained for ve cents each, by addressing the Commissioner of Patents,

WashingtomD. C. 

